Kauila's Tears
by Five-O Fanatics
Summary: Kono and Danny travel to the Big Island to enjoy the surf, sun and take some much needed time off. But when a prominent marine biologist who fought for protection of the island's dwindling sea turtle population is murdered, Kono is tested as he seeks to ensure that justice is found not just for the victim, but also for the creatures that he loves. By Book 'em Again and Tanith2011.
1. Prologue

**Author's note:** This story was co-written by Book 'em Again and Tanith2011 and we are so excited to share it with you. Please know that the Hawaiian word honu refers to the green sea turtle while 'ea refers to the hawksbill sea turtle. In 1982 both species were placed on the endangered species list.

The story of Kauila belongs to Hawaiian people.

* * *

 **Kauila's Tears**

 _We dedicate this story to our friend honu59.  
_ _This one is for you and for the turtles you love._

 **Prologue: A Mother's Tale**

A young boy stood on the beach as small waves lapped around his ankles trying to work up the courage to brave the water. He loved the sea and watching the waves crash into the shore but he was only a little boy and the waves seemed so big from where he was standing.

Not quite sure if he was ready to take that big step, the boy dug a small hole in the sand with his foot and smiled as he watched it fill up with water. He just decided that he was going to play in the sand when his four kaikuahine swam over to him and Luana called out, "Kono, come join us!"

"Don't tell me ya are afraid of gettin' wet," Pua teased.

"No!" Kono shot back.

"Den get in da water," Niele said.

Kono hated being the youngest and the only boy. Why couldn't they leave him alone? He would get in the water when he was ready. Maybe when the waves got a little smaller.

Kalea seemed to sense Kono's fear and reached over and took his hand. As the oldest she decided it was her job to help her kaikunane. "I'll be right here. Ya like ta swim."

Kalea was right, Kono did like to swim. He swam all the time in the small pond by their house, but the ocean was so big and scary.

As Kalea stepped toward the ocean, Kono decided that if his kaikunane could brave the waves then so could he. Gripping Kalea's hand hard, Kono stepped in the water. The current tugged slightly at his feet but he was able to stand.

The sight of a wave coming toward him made Kono want to run back to the beach but, holding tighter to the hand of his kaikuahine, Kono stood still and let the water hit him. Realizing that he was okay, Kono smiled and let go of Kalea's hand.

Pua swam up and splashed water at her kaikunane and Kono quickly responded in kind. Soon there was a full water battle going on between the five siblings as they laughed and played in the ocean.

Kono had just decided that he really liked the ocean when the force of the next wave knocked him off his feet. Suddenly, he was surrounded by water, salt water stinging his eyes and throat. However, he wasn't underwater long as Kalea reached down and grabbed him under his armpits and pulled him to his feet.

Coughing and crying, Kono pushed himself away from Kalea and ran for the safety of the beach. As his feet hit the dry sand, he called out, "Mama! Mama!"

In an instant, Kono felt the safe and comforting arms of his makuahine as they wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground.

"Hush, Kono. You're safe."

Slowly, Kono began to calm down and his cries turned to hiccups as the soothing words of his makuahine brought comfort to the scared boy.

Wiping the tears from his face with the back of his hand, Kono decided that he was never swimming in the ocean again when his makuahine cried out, "Kono, nānā!"

Looking over where his makuahine was pointing, Kono's eyes grew wide as he watched a creature come out of the water and walk slowly up the beach towards him. "Honu!" he cried out in delight.

The honu ignored the actions of the humans, as it walked until it found a spot in the sand that it deemed perfect for sunning itself.

"Kono," his makuahine asked, "have I ever told you the story of Kauila?"

"No, Mama."

"One moonlight night, on da black sands of Punalu'u, a beautiful 'ea with a head dat was pure white came ashore. This 'ea was called Honu-po'o-kea and she dug a hole in da sand ta make a nest. Den she laid a single egg dat was dark and smooth like kauila wood. Honu-'ea, Honu-po'o-kea's mate, watched from the ocean.

"After da egg was covered, Honu-'ea joined Honu-po'o-kea on da beach and together dey dug in da sand ta create a spring. When dey finished, dey returned to da ocean.

"Da egg hatched into an 'ea called Kauila who lived in da spring her parents dug. When children came ta Punalu'u, Kauila would transform into a girl and play with dem. Kauila watched over da children and made sure dey were safe. Today, Kauila is da guardian of children.

"So, Kono, whenever ya see da honu, know dat Kauila is watching over ya."

"You promise, Mama?"

"I promise."

Reassured that he was safe, Kono gave his makuahine a hug and ran to rejoin his four kaikuahine swimming in the ocean. Knowing that Kauila was looking out for him and all children, Kono was able to spend the rest of the day splashing in the ocean without fear.

For Kono was a child under the protection of Kauila.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Sun, Surf and Murder**

The dark haired shirtless young Hawaiian looked up into the brilliant blue sky and used his hand to shield his eyes from the bright rays of the golden sun that beat down over Kaalualu Point. He smiled as he watched a pair of hang gliders soaring across the cloudless heavens high up above him.

"You know, she's too far away to see your pretty face," quipped a sandy haired young man as he continued his ritualistic waxing of his surf board.

Kono Kalakaua broke his focus and turned to face his companion beside him. "I hope you don't surf as slow as you wax!"

"You just wait and see. I'll show you how to ride those waves," Danny Williams winked and grinned broadly at his chuckling friend. "Okay, are you ready?"

"Bruddah, I was born ready!" Kono replied with an air of confidence as he grabbed his board and jogged down the sandy slopes towards the breaking water.

Still smiling, Danny shook his head and wiped the light sheen of perspiration off his forehead with one hand. He picked up his board then started after his friend when suddenly he felt someone colliding into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said a chirpy feminine voice.

Danny's blue eyes lit up as they rested upon a pretty young woman with light brown hair cascading down her shoulders. Beside her, an equally attractive strawberry blond girl giggled.

"No, it was my fault for not looking," Danny said as he stopped in his tracks.

"I like your board. Like, totally groovy," the brunette replied, flipping her hair back over her shoulders, her hazel eyes roaming over the young man's lean body.

Danny ran a hand through his hair, his gaze fixated on the bikini clad woman and her companion who gave him a sly wink.

"Hey, Danny! Are ya coming?" a voice called out.

Inwardly, Danny groaned at the timing but, knowing that his friend would only keep hollering, he politely excused himself and headed down the beach toward the raging surf. Despite the distance, he could already feel Kono's mocking gaze burning his face. "I was wrong, Bruddah. You as slow as you wax!" Kono joked as he sat straddling the surf board.

"I was a little busy, in case you didn't notice," Danny replied in mock seriousness.

"Yeah, dem wahinis must've got tired of waiting for ya to make your move."

"Well, I was working on getting to know them a little better but your hollering scared them away, you see."

"Or maybe dey going to watch me rip right past ya and shoot da curl," Kono countered, inclining his head toward the beach where the two young girls he saw with Danny earlier were now looking their way.

"Alright, Quasimodo, you're on. Show them how you're going to turtle your way through that one over there," Danny said as he pointed at a sizeable swell forming on the horizon.

After making sure he wasn't going to be dropping in on anyone, Kono paddled away from Danny and moved toward the wall that begun to rise out of the ocean. Once in position, he waited for the crest to build. Then as he angled the board into the wave he pushed himself up and planted his feet firmly on the waxed surface of the board. Staying as close to the curl as possible, Kono imagined his board gliding through the barrel, in trim with the wave. While it was a picture perfect image, the failed execution of that image sent him into the water.

As Danny watched the wipe-out, a combination of concern and pleasure crossed his features, so when Kono's board, followed by its rider bobbed back up to the surface, Danny couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief nor could he resist cupping his hands around his mouth and calling out, "I thought you said you were going to show the girls how to shoot the curl!"

"Dat was a warm up!" Kono called back.

Kono was true to his word as the two Five-O detectives spent the better part of the day engaged in a friendly competition as each tried to out show the other, all the while wondering if they made an impression on the two young women who had been avidly watching their every move. As the afternoon wore on, however, the ladies attention wandered and they were seen walking away, arm in arm with two other surfers but the detectives were having too much fun to mind – too much.

Exhausted and content, Danny and Kono decided to call it a day. They paddled back to shore, maintaining their banter on who can best the other, only this time it had to do with who was the faster swimmer. Kono conceded that although he agreed Danny was the better surfer, he begged to differ on their swimming prowess.

"The way you surfed today, I'm finding it hard to believe you'll be any faster than a turtle," Danny quipped.

"Dere's a beach not far from here where my mama said you can swim with da honu. Maybe tomorrow we see who is faster," Kono challenged.

"You're on!" Danny accepted.

The two young men reached the shore and dried off, feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. All in all, it was a very fine start to what the two men hoped would be a fun and relaxing vacation on the Big Island.

* * *

The light had long since faded into a velvet indigo sky as nightfall enveloped the land. The tides rolled in and the gentle surf brought with it an oval silhouette, like a rounded shield carried ashore by the currents.

Concealed among the lush vegetation of Punalu'u beach, a figure adjusted the lens of his binoculars, as he watched the beach in admiration. Despite the ache in his knees and the cramped tired muscles in his body, Eric Sullivan continued to study the formation as it trekked across the sand on a mission to create more life. For years, the youthful professor travelled from beach to beach along the coast lines from Kauai to the Big Island, studying the gentle creatures that fascinated him.

Not willing to make a sound, Sullivan spent the next two hours kneeling in the dark sand watching the sacred act of creation, only moving to take notes in his ever present notebook.

The sound of gruff voices drew Sullivan's attention away from his fixation. He scanned the beach and frowned when his eyes came to rest on a row boat reaching the shore. He lifted his gaze a fraction higher and readjusted the lens. Not far from the beach a small fishing trawler was moored. _Hunters of the worst kind._ Eric was all too familiar with the movements of men who hunted the graceful honu and 'ea for their valuable shells, flesh, fats for oil and their eggs. He had had witnessed enough of the brutality that bloodied the sands of Hawaii's beaches. This time, he was going to put an end to the callous destruction of an entire species.

The whole situation made Sullivan's blood boil but since the whole operation was legal there was little he could do. Every restaurant in Hawaii sold turtle meat. The public had no idea that the number of turtles he studied grew fewer and fewer every year. But he was determined to change that. If could teach the public how the hunters killed more turtles than were born each year, if he could show the brutality of the killings, then he might be able to convince the public and the Government of Hawaii to end the slaughter. Sullivan lowered his binoculars, reached into his backpack and pulled out a camera. He left his bag behind in the shrubbery, rose to a crouched position and crept toward the nesting location.

Sure enough, by the light of the crescent moon, Sullivan made out two men who disembarked from the row boat which they then dragged on to the beach, away from the breaking water. One of the men appeared to be armed with a spear gun or a rifle while the other carried a sack. They quickly bounded across the sand and followed the trail left by the marine creature. It didn't take them long to locate her nest. The conservationist moved closer to the two figures who dug at the nest, kicked away at the sandy mound, before one of them aimed his weapon at the harmless animal and pulled the trigger, abruptly ending her life. Sullivan swallowed the bile that rose up his throat while his eyes watered at the sheer cruelty that took place before him. His hands shook with suppressed rage as he raised the camera and sought the men in the viewfinder. He managed to take a couple of hurried shots before the men's backs turned away from him as they dragged the lifeless carcass from the nesting ground and collected the eggs. Sullivan shifted from his concealment to get a better view of what the men were doing, but an upraised root brought him to the ground with a grunt. Breathing heavily, Sullivan's right hand felt the sand around him for his glasses. Without them his vision was impaired to the point where everything in sight was nothing more than blurry shapes. The environmentalist abandoned his camera and continued his desperate search. He breathed a sigh of relief when his fingers came into contact with his spectacles. He fixed them back over the bridge of his nose and looked up. To his surprise he saw that the hunters had disappeared. He raised himself to his knees and he scanned the length of the beach but they were nowhere to be seen. He spotted their boat, lying on the beach and knew they were still in the vicinity.

The sound of undergrowth crushed beneath a heavy weight and the feeling of a presence behind him, caused Eric Sullivan to wheel around from where he knelt.

Suddenly the whereabouts of the men was made evident in rather unpleasant circumstances as Sullivan faced them. The professor rose to his feet and stood wide-eyed as the two men approached him. The taller of the figures brandished a large hunting knife while the brawnier of the duo pointed the spear gun in a threatening manner.

"What have we got here, Gibs?" the fair-haired man drawled.

"Looks to me, like we got ourselves a peeping Tom," sneered the man beside him.

"I'm a researcher. I saw what you did to that turtle. You and your friends won't get away with it!" Sullivan bravely snapped as he stood his ground, hoping the men would simply laugh in his face and leave, like they usually did.

The two men chuckled and, before Sullivan could move, the lankier figure lunged forward and grabbed a handful of his shirt front. A scuffle ensued and fists flew. Outnumbered, Sullivan grunted as blows landed from all sides.

"Get him!" a shout commanded as the researcher broke away from the frenzied attack.

Sullivan's glasses were askew and blood ran freely from his nose. He started to run toward the secluded beach but a sharp, tearing pain between his shoulder blades knocked the breath out of him and he fell face down into the sand. Unable to breathe or even think from the agonizing pain, he surrendered to the inky black abyss.

Behind the body, the older of the two murderers lowered his spear gun and speat, "I'm fed up with these do-gooders sticking their noses in where they don't belong and causing trouble! Pull him away from the beach and cover him in those bushes. I'll grab the rest of those eggs. When you're done, help me get the rest of our merchandise back to the boat. She's a beauty. Should get a fair price on her."

As the hunters finished their gory task and cast off, the dark water glistened in the moonlight as it lapped against the shore and washed away the blood that splattered onto the black sand of Punalu'u beach.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Make**

By the time the tangerine hues had faded away and the golden rays of the sun illuminated a clear blue sky, the two vacationing detectives had reached their destination. Parking the jeep off the road, Kono Kalakaua drew in several deep breaths of the crisp morning air, as he sat admiring the view of Punalu'u beach. It was even more beautiful than when his Mama had described it. He realized that no word could give it the justice it deserved.

"Are you sure we're at the right place?" Danny broke the silence with his scepticism. His blue eyes scanned the beach before he turned to face his companion.

"It sure is, Bruddah!" Kono replied, a broad grin lighting up his jovial face.

"Is the sand supposed to be that color?"

Kono chuckled at his friend's puzzled reaction to the sight that greeted them. "Don't tell me you never heard of Black Sand Beach?"

Looking slightly sheepish, Danny shook his head and waited for Kono to explain.

"Da sand is made of basalt," Kono began.

Recognition of the word brought to Danny's mind the research he had conducted about volcanic activity while solving one of Five-O's cases. "Ah, volcanoes, right!"

"See, ya more dan just a pretty face!" Kono quipped. "Let's go."

The two companions left the jeep then raced each other to the serene beach, laughing and making wagers on their swimming prowess. Shedding out of their vivid Aloha shirts and leaving them in a haphazard pile on the black sand, the young men ran to meet the breaking water. Once their bodies adjusted to the temperature, they waded out until the water was deep enough for them to dive in and swim out toward the sea.

"Just be careful of da rocks. My mama told me to stay away from dem. Dey are sharp and can be dangerous," Kono warned as he swam up to Danny's side.

Danny nodded, and then feeling goose bumps rising all over his skin, he gasped, "The water sure is cold!"

"You backing out, Bruddah?" Kono goaded as he splashed Danny in the face then swam away from him.

Laughing and spluttering, Danny swam after his friend.

Reaching a designated area, Kono waited for Danny to reach him then challenged, "Okay, I race ya from here back to da beach. Da loser pays for da luau tonight."

"You're on!" Danny said enthusiastically, forgetting about the cold water as he turned to face the beach.

"On da count of three. Ready?" Kono counted down loudly but number one barely left his lips when a wall of sea water splashed over his face. Realizing Danny had paid him back what was due, Kono quickly wiped the water free from his eyes and with a great big splash, he raced to beat his friend to the beach. Victory seemed to be within his reach as he saw the distance closing in between him and Danny and he pushed himself harder with each stroke. When at last he over took Danny, Kono felt a sense of pride grow within him.

Kono reached the breaking water feeling victorious and refreshed. As his feet met solid ground, he let out a triumphant roar and punched the air with his fists.

"I'll tell you what? I'll raise your wager. Five laps between those rocks over there and there," Danny pointed out to the rock formations jutting out on either side of their chosen swimming location. "The loser pays for the first round of drinks after the luau."

"Too easy!" Kono gloated.

By the time the two young men swam their last lap, their muscles began to tire and scream in protest, slowing them down. Matching Danny stroke for stroke, Kono silently willed himself to swim faster, until something to his right caught the corner of his eye and as he turned his head, he saw to his surprise two honu swimming within an arm's reach. Staring in admiration, he began to match his strokes with theirs. With the bet momentarily forgotten, Kono watched the pair until they changed direction and headed away from him toward the rocks. With a sigh, Kono resumed his mission only to discover that Danny was already standing on the beach, waving for him to hurry along. Groaning inwardly, Kono swam his way back to land.

"Took you long enough! What kept you?" Danny teased breathlessly, as he sank down onto the warm, almost gravelly textured sand.

"Didn't you see dem?" Kono asked excitedly as he pointed out toward the rocks.

"See who? The wahines? Or mermaids?" Danny broke out in a peal of laughter.

"You got wahines on da brain! I'm talking about da honu. Dere were two of dem swimming right by me," Kono insisted as he sat down on the sand next to Danny who was now lying on his back with his head resting on his rolled up Aloha shirt.

"Any excuse, huh?" Danny mumbled with a small chuckle, closing his eyes and basking in the sun.

Ignoring his dozing friend, Kono looked out to the sea and searched the rippling water for the graceful creatures but to his disappointment they were nowhere to be seen. So he decided to follow his friend's example and lay down on the warm inviting sand.

" _Make_. _"_

Kono sat up and looked around. The voice was unnerving; why would the wind be whispering the word death? Shaking his head, Kono tried to convince himself that he had just imagined it but his gut was telling him that something was very wrong.

" _Make_. _"_

Jumping to his feet, Kono looked around for the source of the voice. It sounded like a young girl and he quickly shifted from feeling spooked to feeling concerned. A quick glance at Danny told Kono that his friend hadn't heard a thing as he was happily soaking in the sun's rays while he lay unmoving in the black sand. Not sure of what he was hearing, Kono decided not to bother his friend and started walking down the beach alone as the voice continued to cry of death.

Kono had only walked a couple of yards when he spotted the owner of the voice sitting in the sand, not far from where the sand and the tree line met. The source was a keiki, no older than six or seven, with long unbound black hair that fluttered in the wind. Brown-skinned arms were wrapped tightly around her legs and it looked as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible to hide from some great terror.

Kono's heart ached at the sight and he resolved in that moment to do whatever was needed to take away the keiki's fear. Kneeling down so that he was on her level, the detective gently asked, "Keiki, what's wrong?"

Tears streaking down her face, she looked up at him with eyes – eyes that looked old. The sight rattled the detective; no keiki should have the eyes of a luahine. She spoke no words and simply lifted one hand and pointed into the brush.

The unspoken command sent Kono into the brush without hesitation, although the cop in him did take care to be on the lookout for any hidden dangers. However, he didn't have to search for long before he found what was causing the keiki to weep with fear; hidden under a pile of brush and sand was the body of a dead man.

After years in law enforcement, one might think that Kono was used to seeing death but death always came as a shock to him. However, his time in law enforcement taught him how to deal with the shock as his instincts kicked in. He first needed to secure the scene and to do that he needed to find help. Believing the keiki would be okay for a couple of moments alone, Kono sprinted down the beach back towards his friend.

On reaching his dozing companion, Kono crouched down and shook the stirring detective by the shoulder. "Danny, wake up, bruddah!"

"What is it?" Danny slurred as he propped himself up on his elbows and squinted against the bright glare of the sunlight that shone in his face.

"You bettah come wiki wiki!" Kono said breathlessly. He straightened up and started to head back toward the keiki he'd left behind before Danny had even had a chance to rise to his feet. He looked back over his shoulder and was relieved to see that the urgency behind his voice had brought Danny to wakefulness.

When the two detectives reached the location of the body, Kono frantically began searching and calling out for the little girl that he insisted to Danny was hiding somewhere out of fear.

"Are you sure she was here?" Danny questioned, kneeling down beside the body and pushing aside the undergrowth. Years of experience as a detective combined with the physical evidence at hand told him that the deceased had met with foul play in the last moments of his life.

Kono knew he'd seen the child just as sure as he had heard her weeping. "She was right here."

"We better call this in. It looks like he was murdered sometime last night. The blood still looks pretty fresh." After a quick but thorough visual examination of the body, Danny could see what had caused the victim's blood to soak through his clothing and dampen the earth. What looked to be a thin metal rod protruded through the victim's back.

The Hawaiian detective was barely paying attention to his friend as he continued to peer through the vegetation in search of the keiki. When he felt a hand clap his shoulder, he looked up to see Danny pointing in the direction of the jeep.

"Stay here. The girl couldn't have gotten very far. I'm going to see if I can find a pay phone."

Kono nodded and watched Danny sprint across the black sand before casting his brown eyes toward the sea, searching for an answer to his troubled thoughts. _Where did ya go, keiki?_

* * *

The two off-duty detectives continued to search the secluded length of the beach for the little girl as well as for any additional physical evidence that could be used to establish the crime scene while they waited for officers from the Hawaii Police Department to arrive. After making the call at a phone booth, Danny had retrieved his badge and Kono's from the jeep, and then collected their Aloha shirts from where they had left them bundled on the sand.

Without moving the position of the body, Danny patted down the victim's clothing then using a handkerchief he searched the pockets until he found a tattered army green canvas wallet. Taking great care not to smear his own finger prints on the surfaces, Danny flipped it open. An identification card was displayed through the clear insert. _Eric Thomas Sullivan. Age 34._

"Danny, take a look at dis!" Kono called out as he pointed out a faded olive green bag to his friend.

Danny returned the wallet and then walked over to the bag. Moving carefully so as not to cause the bag to shift, he undid the buckle, opened the flap and then peered inside. Without rummaging through the contents he could see a thermos, a half-eaten sandwich, a note book and a pair of binoculars stuffed into the satchel. Looking at his friend, Danny mused, "Picnic for one or bird watching?"

Before Kono could voice his own thoughts, the detectives heard sirens drawing nearer and knew that the local authorities had finally arrived. Fishing into the pockets of their board shorts, they drew out their badge cases and waited for the officers to meet them.

Once the formal introductions were made between the officers and the Five-O detectives, the process of taking down statements and securing the crime scene began.

"We'd appreciate it if you could come down to da station and sit with a police artist. We need to know how da the child discovered da body or if she saw anything more," Detective Kai Lokelani said, as he looked at Kono.

Kono nodded to the fellow Hawaiian who was Steve's match in age and height while being broader in shoulder and carrying a little more weight. "We'll both come down. Our jeep is back up off da road."

"Mahalo," Lokelani nodded politely before grabbing the attention of the forensic examiner who had walked over toward them. "Paul, dese are Detectives Kono Kalakaua and Dan Williams. Dey're Five-O." Then to Kono and Danny, he continued in a proud voice, "And dis is Paul Mahina. He's our man when it comes to combing through forensic evidence. Da best on da island."

Paul smiled modestly as he shook hands with the two detectives from Oahu.

Danny and Kono were suddenly reminded of their own forensic expert, Che Fong, even though there was very little physical resemblance between Paul and Che apart from their smile and their ages. Where Che was Oriental and slight of stature, Paul was Kono's equal in that regard. However, Paul carried an air of level-headedness and professionalism akin to Che.

"What have you got, Paul?" Lokelani asked.

"Thirty-four year old healthy Caucasian male named Eric Thomas Sullivan. There's evidence to suggest a violent struggle had taken place. A steel rod, most likely fired from a speargun, penetrated the victim's back, probably severing his spine. It looks like death was caused by the latter but we won't know for certain until the coroner has a look at him," Paul Mahina patiently told the three men.

"We found his bag hidden in the bush. Could he have been a researcher or bird watcher perhaps?" Danny queried.

"From what I can gather, the victim was killed sometime last night which rules out bird watching so my guess is that he was keeping a look out for 'ea."

"Ea?" Danny asked.

"Hawksbill turtles. This beach is one of their nesting grounds."

Danny was confused and was not ashamed to admit his ignorance. "I thought the Hawaiian word for turtles was honu."

"It is," Paul clarified, "but when someone is talking about honu they are usually referring to the green sea turtles. You will find them on this beach as well. They will swim right by the shore and often come up on the beach to sun themselves, but only the hawksbill turtle has its nesting grounds here."

While Danny processed this new information, Kono looked back at Detective Lokelani. "Did ya find foot prints?"

"Apart from da ones made today by you and your hoaloha here, no."

"What about tire marks?" Danny joined in.

Lokelani shook his head in the negative then surmised, "Da suspect or suspects may have followed da victim on foot to da beach den ambushed him. Da wind and surf probably disturbed any prints dey made in the sand so we have nothing dat could've been deirs to go by. Since dere are no other cars but your jeep parked nearby, and given da victim lived within walking distance from where he lives, I would say dat both da victim and his killer arrived on foot."

"Maybe they knew each other," Danny contemplated.

Before the others could respond a loud and demanding voice called out from further down the beach, "Let me through! You have no right to detain me like this."

"Oh, boy! Sounds like we got trouble on our hands," Kono said.

Fearful that Kono was right, Danny decided to go lend a helping hand. Besides, the blond-haired officer who was on perimeter duty looked like he had just graduated from the academy and the detective doubted that he had much experience in dealing with troublesome bystanders. As Danny drew closer he saw that the source of the voice was a college-aged woman who was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a light blue blouse with brown hair tied back in a French braid. Determination was etched on her features as her dark eyes dared anyone who stood in her way to remain there.

Pulling out his badge, Danny decided to face the problem directly. "Williams, Five-O. Who are you, miss?"

"Rosalyn Shelton," the young woman answered coldly. "Now if you don't mind I am here to look for my boss who is very late for an important meeting at the university."

Bells started ringing in Danny's head as he immediately thought about the body of a professor lying only a few yards away. "Perhaps I can help. What is the name of your boss?"

Rosalyn titled her head and answered in a mocking schoolgirl voice, "Dr. Eric Sullivan. He teaches marine biology at the University of Hawaii in Hilo. He came here to do some research on turtle nesting habits."

Not daring to react to the woman's antics, Danny kept his voice calm and steady. "How do you know Professor Sullivan?"

"I'm his research assistant. Look, fuzz, why are asking all these questions? Last time I checked this was a public beach."

"Unfortunately, today it is a crime scene," Danny replied solemnly. "I regret to inform you that we found a body of a man carrying the identification of a Dr. Eric Sullivan."

Rosalyn's face turned white as her cold exterior dropped. "Dead? It can't be. Professor Sullivan is one of the best biologists on the islands. His life is his research. Who would do such a thing?"

Danny watched Rosalyn's reactions closely. It looked like she was genuinely shocked but he had seen carefully rehearsed acts before.

"I understand this is difficult but it would be helpful if you could identify the body."

Rosalyn nodded and let Danny lead her over to the body. On seeing her professor's lifeless form lying on the earth, Rosalynn stated coldly, "Those murderous bastards. How many innocents must die before someone will act?"

Making note of the young woman's odd choice of words, Danny kept pressing, "Is this Dr. Sullivan?"

Rosalyn jerked out of Danny's grasp. "Of course it's him."

Kono moved to cut off her escape. "You mentioned da murder of other innocents. Who else is dead?"

"I would think a Hawaiian like you would already know. But, no, you people defend your so-called right to murder the innocent by claiming that it is an important part of your cultural identity. You say that you are a people of the land, but you do nothing as whole species of animals are hunted to extinction!"

Kono looked like he had been slapped and Danny felt a surge of anger towards this woman. He knew that Kono cared deeply about the land as he was involved with environmental protection groups back on Oahu.

"Look, Miss," Danny said with gritted teeth. "Who else is dead?"

"Turtles. The green sea turtle is approaching extinction so we all can eat turtle soup. The Hawksbill turtle is in even worse shape and this beach is one of the last nesting grounds left! It should be protected, but instead it's a place where poachers can find their prey."

"Hunting turtles is not a crime," Danny stated.

"According to fuzz law it isn't. But according to the laws of nature it is. Professor Sullivan is a martyr who died protecting these innocent creatures."

Danny was in danger of losing what little patience he had left dealing with this woman. But even though she was extremely frustrating to deal with he couldn't deny that so far she had been a wealth of information.

"I agree dat more needs ta be done ta protect da honu and 'ea, but what makes you think hunters did dis?" Kono stepped in and decided to approach Shelton from a different angle. Beneath the feisty exterior, he could see the young woman had a deep hatred toward those who ruined the land and in some ways she reminded him of his own anger when he was her age. If he could just reach out to her, maybe he could gain her trust.

Looking into Kono's eyes, Rosalyn seemed to sense that Kono was telling the truth. That was a welcome development as Kono's concern seemed to win her over – at least temporarily. "Follow me."

Danny and Kono hurried after the young woman who spent the next several minutes walking up and down the beach looking for something that was beyond the knowledge of the two detectives. Suddenly, Rosalyn stopped and pointed at an indentation in the sand. "Look! See the broken shell? A turtle was nesting here."

Danny gestured for the police photographer to take pictures. "Now, you said Professor Sullivan came to this beach to study turtle nesting habits?"

"Yes," the furious woman said. "But these poachers must have killed her and her babies. Those murderers!"

It didn't escape Danny's notice that Rosalyn seemed to be just as upset over the death of these turtles as she was over the professor's demise. "Did you know much about Sullivan's research?"

"I'm a graduate student studying biology. Professor Sullivan was my mentor; of course I helped him with his research."

"Why weren't you here last night?"

"We take turns. Me, the professors and two other assistants. We make sure that someone is on the beach every night during nesting season.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Shelton," Danny said. "We'll be in contact. If you think of anything else that can help us catch the people who did this, don't hesitate to contact HPD."

Rosalyn took one more sorrowful look at the ruined nest before walking away.

As Danny watched Miss Shelton leave he couldn't help but say, "With a name like Rosalyn I thought she might have been a little lovelier."

Kono snorted. "She looks as lovely as a rose but she has thorns dat would make any man think twice."

"You got that right."

Looking at his friend's sad face, Danny could tell his attempt at humor had failed to uplift his spirits. Remembering Kono's excitement over seeing the turtles earlier, Danny realized that between the death of those turtles and the missing girl, his friend was taking this hard. In circumstances like this Danny knew that there was only one thing they could do to help deal with the pain.

It looked like their vacation was over. Five-O was taking this case.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: A Thorny Situation**

Na'alehu police station was small and cramped but it was the closest one located near Punalu'u beach. It was very late in the afternoon before the two Five-O detectives were able to examine the coroner's report on the death of Dr. Eric Sullivan. During their wait for the document to be wired through, they had each submitted their statements. Kono sat with a police artist. And while another took the sketch around to the local schools, Detective Lokelani also showed Kono a bulletin board covered with photographs of missing children. Most were Hawaiian but none bore a strong enough resemblance to that of the youngster he saw down at the beach.

Studying the medical report he held in his hands, Danny read the information out loud so that the other two men in the room could hear. "According to the Doc, the victim died sometime between ten o'clock last night and midnight. There were a number of bruises and abrasions to the body and face, consistent with those received from a beating. Cause of death, however, was cardiac arrest." Looking up from the report, Danny was met by puzzled looks. Returning his eyes to the sheet of paper, he continued to sum up the coroner's findings. "The victim was shot by a speargun. The spear caused significant trauma including internal hemorrhaging. It not only severed his spine and punctured a lung but it also pierced the pericardium, the sac encasing the victim's heart. "

"Auwe," Kono winced.

Danny glanced over at his friend and colleague. He'd noted that Kono had taken a solemn stance and spoke very little since their arrival at the station. He wondered if it had to do with the little girl he claimed to have seen who disappeared without a trace. Danny believed in his friend and if Kono said he saw the child then he saw her and together they'd find her.

"Which brings us to da motive. Why go through da trouble of murdering someone with a speargun? For kicks? A mugging gone wrong?" Detective Lokelani speculated.

"Our lady friend seemed convinced that whoever collected those turtle eggs was the same person or persons who killed Professor Sullivan," Danny recalled.

"But how do we know da eggs were harvested last night?" Lokelani countered.

"We don't," Danny admitted.

"But da professor's work makes it likely dat he has butted heads with hunters before," Kono argued.

"Yes, but it also makes the hunters a good scapegoat if someone else is the murderer."

"Da ya think da girl was involved?" Kono asked bluntly.

Danny shrugged. "Maybe. At the very least we have to consider the possibility."

"I'll run a check on Ms. Shelton and see if her name turns up in our database," Lokelani proposed.

"It'll be a good place to start," Danny agreed.

"Bettah call Steve," Kono added.

"Yeah, he'd want us to fill him in on what's going on." Danny nodded then turned to Lokelani and asked. "May I use your phone?"

"Go right ahead," the detective replied. "I'll see what I can dig up on Ms. Shelton," Lokelani left the two men at his desk to allow them some privacy.

Danny wasted no time as he picked up the phone receiver and started dialing. He was quickly greeted by the operator's voice but it took several minutes before the operator was able to connect Danny to his boss's private line at Five-O in Honolulu. After a brief informal interchange, the young detective revealed his reasons for calling.

"What have you got so far, Danno?" Steve McGarrett asked.

"Not a lot except the murder weapon was a speargun."

"Witnesses?"

"No, but a student from the local university showed up at the scene and claimed she and two others were involved in assisting Dr. Sullivan with his turtle watching on the beach. She said she wasn't with him last night."

"Do you believe her?"

Danny paused momentarily before continuing, "I don't think she was at the beach last night but she definitely is involved in Sullivan's work. Also, from the evidence we gathered so far, Sullivan did put up quite a struggle and Rosalyn – _Miss Shelton_ – doesn't appear to be physically capable of inflicting the types of injuries that the coroner found on the professor's body. There were no marks on her face or arms to indicate she was involved in a violent struggle."

"I see. What about the little girl that Kono said he saw? She could've been a material witness?"

"We are circulating a sketch and Kono has already looked over the missing persons photos. No luck yet."

Danny distinctly heard McGarrett sigh in frustration on the other end of the line.

"Okay. Where are you and Kono staying?"

Nestling the receiver between his shoulder and ear, Danny then pulled out a receipt from his wallet and read out the name and telephone number of the hotel that he and Kono were staying at.

"Got it. Keep me informed, Danno, and if you need anything, let me know."

"We'll be in touch, Steve." Danny ended the call just as Detective Lokelani returned to his desk with a file clutched in his hand.

"Rosalyn Shelton was arrested once before for disrupting da peace during a protest outside a highly reputable restaurant a year ago. Da restaurant is well known for serving da best turtle soup on da island. Charges were dropped after Dr. Sullivan agreed to pay for damages caused to da restaurant's front window by da group. Sounds like da Professor has a soft spot for da wahine," Lokelani reported as he handed Danny the manila folder.

Danny leafed through the document before closing the folder and meeting the gaze of the two detectives in front of him. "It's late. Let's get some rest and then head over to the University first thing in the morning. Maybe we'll find out more about Miss Shelton and her relationship with Dr. Sullivan."

Both men nodded in agreement and the three detectives headed out of the bureau.

* * *

Early the next morning, Danny and Kono drove towards Hilo in a borrowed jeep. Lokelani had stayed behind in Na'alehu to continue searching for the missing girl but he had told the two detectives that Chief Parker would meet them in Hilo.

Kono had only worked with Brian Parker once before and had found the man to be likeable and easy to work with. While Kono would never outwardly admit it, Parker's laid back ways were a nice break from working with the exacting McGarrett.

Fiddling with a map in his lap, Kono ordered Danny to take a right turn. When they learned that Sullivan's condo was within walking distance of the university they had made the decision to start their investigation there.

After doing a quick walkthrough the house, it was clear to Kono that Sullivan didn't spend much time at home. The upstairs bedroom and bathroom were the only rooms that showed much signs of regular usage. Though, after Kono headed back downstairs, a writing desk in the corner caught the detective's attention.

Piles of papers covered every inch of the desk and it didn't take Kono very long to realize that they were copies of letters addressed to every political leader in Hawaii: from mayors, councilmen, state and US senators and representatives, and to Governor Jameson himself. The little return correspondence Kono saw seemed to be filled mostly with gratitude for his concerns and trite promises to look further into the matter.

Sullivan's pleas for greater conservation had been going on for years and appeared to have fallen upon deaf ears.

Off to the side, Kono noticed another bundle loosely tied together with a piece of string. As Kono began to rifle through these letters he knew that he had stumbled onto something important.

"Find anything?" Danny asked.

"Sullivan had an active correspondence with almost every politician on dese islands. Looks like our professor didn't see eye to eye with his local state representative." Pointing to a particular passage, Kono summarized, "Here Sullivan is arguing dat Onishi likes ta campaign as an advocate of conservation, but dat his voting record suggests otherwise. If Onishi doesn't start keeping his promises, Sullivan says he'll make sure da whole islands learns dat he is nothin' more den a hypocrite."

Danny whistled. "If Onishi felt threatened enough he might have moved against Sullivan. But would Sullivan have had enough clout for Onishi to feel threatened?"

"Between access to university students and local environmental groups, dat might have been enough," Kono mused. "But Onishi never struck me as irrational. His tone is respectful disagreement in dese letters."

"We will have to look further into it," Danny stated. "Maybe some of these other letters can give us more clues on Onishi or other possible threats."

"Brian," Kono called out. "Can you have a few men read through all dis correspondence and send us a report of dere findings?"

"No problem," the Chief replied. "Do you two still plan on heading to the university?"

"Yes," Danny said slowly. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Just heard calls over the radio asking for a larger police presence. There is a massive protest going on."

Kono frowned at the news; college students tended to have a low tolerance for police and he never enjoyed being called the litany of names that were thrown around at these events. Plus, a larger police presence on campus might make their job harder as the protestors would not be happy to see more fuzz. To be careful, they would have to stay close to Sullivan's office and lab unless…

A disturbing thought crossed Kono's mind as he considered that this might not be another anti-war protest like he had immediately assumed. "Brian, did you hear what da protest was about?"

"The murder of Dr. Sullivan and the quote 'genocide of innocent sea creatures.' "

From that description, Kono didn't need to ask who was behind this; it looked like they would have no problem finding Miss Shelton after all.

Danny and Kono left Parker to finish processing Sullivan's condo and drove the few short blocks to campus. As they stepped out of the borrowed jeep, they could immediately feel the tension in the air. Sullivan appeared to have been a popular professor as there were several large signs hung on the dorms that read: _Justice for Sullivan! Justice for the honu!"_

The two detectives exchanged a pointed look. Their presence would not be welcomed here. But that had never stopped Five-O before so Danny just straightened up and marched towards the center of campus trusting that Kono would follow.

As they neared the library, Kono decided that Parker wasn't exaggerating when he said massive protest. It looked like there were over five hundred students skipping class to demand justice for their professor's death and advocate for his life's cause.

The posters and signs were graphic and provocative. Pictures of dead turtles spoke of the violent nature of the hunt. There were other posters that had pictures of regular people eating turtle soup or wearing jewelry made from turtle shells splattered with faux blood. The message was clear: _your hands are not clean._

As Kono watched the students he was torn. He was sympathetic to their cause but it looked like these students were taking full advantage of the publicity surrounding Dr. Sullivan to educate the islands on their cause and that made the Hawaiian suspicious. Could desperation over the lack of progress have caused a supporter to murder in order to bring the public attention to their cause?

It was a possibility that Kono could not ignore and from the look on Danny's face, Kono knew that his friend was thinking similar thoughts.

Looking at the crowd, Kono finally spotted Shelton near the front leading a chant. She was holding what at first looked to be a pole but at closer inspection was the shaft from a speargun and speared on the end of the pole was a baby doll.

Exchanging a glance with Danny they silently agreed to go to Shelton. Bracing himself for what was to come, Kono waded into the sea of protesters. Ignoring the insults, the spittle directed at him and the elbows that jostled him, the detective was able to make his way over to the other side without any permanent damage.

Shelton stopped chanting as they approached and, for once obeyed, when they asked her to step to the side so they could talk. Once away from the crowd, Shelton smiled as she spotted the two detectives staring up at her doll.

"Disturbing isn't it?" Rosalyn asked.

"Immensely," Danny admitted.

Rosalyn cocked her head and the glint in her eye told Kono that she had Danny right where she wanted him. "We are disturbed by the thought of such a weapon being used on a child but yet we have no issues with the same weapon being used to kill innocent creatures."

"Miss Shelton, I am going to have to confiscate your prop."

"You have no right!"

"Yes, ma'am, we do," Kono said firmly. "Dr. Sullivan was killed by a speargun and it appears dat you have access to one."

"How dare you suggest that I..!"

"We have to consider all the possibilities," Danny interrupted. "If you are innocent then you have nothing to worry about."

Rosalyn's reply was to spit into Danny's face.

Kono tensed. Danny would be fully within his rights to arrest Shelton on the spot. But, if he did, he would likely start a riot. Kono was glad that he wasn't the one making the call.

Danny slowly and forcibly grabbed the spear shaft from Shelton's hand. "We'll be in touch."

With a gesture for Kono to follow, Danny walked away, leaving an enraged Rosalyn Shelton in his wake.

* * *

Tossing the crushed empty beer can so that it bounced against the wall before it landed on the floor, Hank Tucker swore from where he sat on the beat up old sofa. His eyes were glued to the television screen where the news cameraman panned the lens across a group of protesters within the grounds of the local University. "Damn do-gooders!"

"Will you turn that thing off! We got work to do."

Tucker turned his head to one side and glared reproachfully at his companion who stood holding a spear gun by his side. "Come on! I'm hung over. Give me a break, will ya?"

Farley drew a slow deep breath, placed the weapon on the wooden surface of the table then took three long strides over to the sofa.

Before Tucker could scramble to his feet, a right hook sent him and the sofa toppling backwards to the floor. A pair of strong hands then grasped the front of his singlet and hauled him to his feet.

"Clean yourself up and get dressed." Farley shoved Tucker toward the bathroom just as the tall, lanky frame of Riley Gibson barged his way into the run-down beach house.

"Hey, man, you seen the news?" Gibson asked nervously, pointing at the TV.

"What're you talkin' about?" Farley rounded on Gibson impatiently.

"Word on the streets is they found the tree-hugger's body this morning!"

"So?" Farley scoffed nonchalantly.

"So, we gotta get rid of the merchandise tonight!"

"Relax, Gibs. There ain't no way the pigs will pin this on us."

In his semi-drunken state, Tucker stumbled to the TV set and turned the volume up.

"… _HPD are canvassing the area and appealing for anyone who may have heard or seen anything that could help them with the investigation to come forward…"_

All eyes were zeroed in on the news reporter.

* * *

By the time the detectives had finished interviewing students and going through the contents of Sullivan's office and lab it was well into the afternoon and Danny's stomach was growling. They found a small café on the beach that came highly recommended by their colleagues on the force in order to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the station at Na'alehu to see what the others had discovered.

"Welcome to the Hilo Café," their waitress said with a smile as she handed them two menus. "Our special today is a grilled mahi-mahi with fresh vegetables and our soup of the day is turtle. Can I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?"

Seeing the look on his friend's face at the mention of the soup, Danny quickly answered for both of them. "We'll both start with water for now."

The waitress smiled again as she left, unaware of how much discomfort her words had caused for the two detectives.

As Danny perused the menu he found that he wasn't as hungry as he thought he was. The mention of turtle soup had put him off his appetite. Rosalyn's words and the images the protesters had carried kept resurfacing in his mind.

The green sea turtle was slowly heading towards extinction, the hawksbill turtle was almost extinct and yet nothing changed. The turtles were still hunted and people in Hawaii enjoyed the specialty of turtle soup.

Damn. In spite of his best efforts, Danny couldn't help but become emotionally involved in this case. Rosalyn's passionate pleas and Kono love for the honu had worked their way into heart.

There was an evil at work in these islands beyond whoever had killed Professor Sullivan and what made it worse was this evil had the law on its side. And because of that law, most people had no idea that their actions were contributing to the death of an entire species. Danny hadn't known. Not until yesterday morning.

Danny looked up at Kono and he noticed that his friend wasn't even looking at his menu. "Not hungry?"

Kono shook his head no so Danny gestured that they should go. Apologizing to the waitress on the way out the door, Danny had to hustle to keep up with his friend. The Hawaiian wandered over to a patch of grass and leaned up against a solitary palm tree, looking out towards the bay.

Unsure of what to do, Danny quietly walked up and stood a few feet away from his friend. He wanted to be close if Kono wanted to talk while still give him space if he needed to be alone.

After a few moments, Kono said softly, "My aumakua is a honu. Do ya know what dis means?"

"Yes," Danny replied. An aumakua was a guardian spirit and they often manifested in animal form. Those who followed the Hawaiian religion believed that each person had their own aumakua to protect them and give them wisdom throughout their life. Whatever animal a person's aumaka manifested as the believer would then treat all members of that species as family.

While Kono had never openly admitted before that he followed the old ways, joking or treating the beliefs as superstitions whenever something had come up in a case, Danny had always known. Kono was deeply religious and he would respect his friend's beliefs.

"With my people da honu is always treated with respect. Only royalty could eat it to gain the gifts of its manna, longevity and endurance."

Kono turned and looked his friend in the eye. "You know dat some of my people are afraid dat if da government puts restrictions on the hunting of da honu that part of our culture will be lost. Dey would rather risk da honu being hunted to extinction to preserve a tradition dat can only be performed by members of da royal family."

"That sounds like what happened with the mamo bird," Danny stated.

"Exactly. When dat bird's feathers were only used for royalty da mamo did fine. But when we started hunting it ta sell da feathers ta da haole traders da mamo died out. But before da traders came we knew how ta only kill and use what we needed. If something isn't done soon da honu and da 'ea will join da mamo."

"Kono, do you ever wish that Cook had never discovered these islands?"

"Yes. Da stories da elders tell speak of a simpler time but we can't change da past. My duty as kama'aina demand dat I work ta protect this land and all her inhabitants."

It was a sign of just how much Kono trusted him that the Hawaiian was able to give his haole friend an honest answer. But Kono was right. They couldn't change the past. But perhaps as they investigated this case they could find a way to work for a better future.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Looking for Answers**

Back at the station, the two Five-O detectives met with Detective Lokelani and Na'alehu's leading forensic expert. All four men laid out the evidence at hand with Williams using the free standing chalkboard to make a note of what they had so far.

Lokelani broke the bad news first. "We took da sketch of our mystery keiki to all da local schools, but no one knows who she is."

Kono looked disappointed but unsurprised. Danny hoped that they'd get a breakthrough on this girl soon. This was eating his friend up.

Thankfully, Mahina was able to report some progress as he held up a steel rod for everyone to see. "Well, this speargun shaft that you confiscated from Miss Shelton matches the one that was removed from Mr. Sullivan's body but you'll find others just like them on the market at the local dive stores throughout the island."

"We could always take a look at da purchase records at da local stores and see if our rose petals' name shows up," Lokelani suggested.

Danny nodded in agreement. "And just in case she used a phony, we have her picture from the university. That might help jog someone's memory."

"I did some reading into Sullivan's notebook and got da names of dose other two assistants of da Professor's. A couple of kids living on campus at da university. Jeff Whitley and Gina Travers. Da thing is, I asked around about dem and apparently neither of dem were in deir dorms da night of da murder. Friends of deirs couldn't tell me where dey were," Lokelani continued.

"Maybe dey weren't where dey were supposed to be?" Kono deduced aloud.

A quick glance at the clock told the detectives that time was of the essence. They needed to wrap up if they were to make it to any of the dive stores between Na'alehu and Hilo before they shut for the day.

Looking at his watch, Danny said, "It's getting late. I have a list here of all the dive stores in the vicinity of the University all the way down to South Point Park. I figure that Kono and I could cover most of them before the day is through then check out the rest first thing tomorrow. That'll free you up to pay Jeff Whitley and Gina Travers a visit."

"Let's go!" Lokelani grabbed his jacket and left the bureau with his fellow counterparts in tow leaving Paul Mahina to continue working on the evidence.

It was late in the afternoon by the time Danny and Kono reached the last dive shop for the day. When they entered the store, the thin elderly business owner informed them that he was about to close up.

"Five-O," Danny flashed his badge and introduced himself and his colleague. "Sorry to get here so late in the day. We won't take up too much of your time, Mr.?"

"Fisher. Arnold Fisher. But please call me Arnie." The man shook hands with the detectives in turn. "What can I do for you?"

"We were wondering if you sold these?" Danny held up the spear for the man to see. He found the irony in Fisher's name amusing and a flicker of a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"Ah, yes. But you'll find this particular kind in most dive shops on the islands." Fisher took the shaft from the detective's hand and studied it for any unusual or identifiable markings.

"We figured that much but perhaps you might recognize this young lady." Danny pulled out a photograph of Rosalyn Shelton from the inside pocket of his jacket and showed it to the store owner.

Fisher handed the spear back to Danny and took the photograph from him.

"Do ya remember selling a spear gun or dese shafts to her?" Kono asked.

"No, but I do remember her. Said she was a college student doing some research on spear fishing. She seemed a little strange and spirited but aren't all kids her age like that?"

"Strange? In what way?" Danny pressed.

Fisher shrugged. "Just asked me a lot of questions about the kind of clientele I get, what kind of animals I could kill with a spear gun and how they operated. She got a little worked up when I explained to her that they were often used to kill turtles."

Danny and Kono exchanged a brief look before Danny asked, "When was this?"

"Hmm…Let's see. A week ago. Yeah, it must've been a week ago."

"Well, thank you, Arnie. You've been a big help. If you do see her again, please don't hesitate to contact us." Danny handed Fisher a business card from the Na'alehu police department which had his and Kono's names handwritten on the back and bade the slightly baffled proprietor goodbye.

As the two detectives left the store, Danny asked Kono to get the jeep while he made a quick call on a nearby pay phone. When he settled into the passenger seat, Kono asked, "HPD picking up Shelton?"

"Yes, with luck they'll have her by the time we arrive."

For once luck was on the detectives' side because when they walked into the Hilo Station, Chief Parker announced that Shelton was being held in an integration room. Bracing himself to face what would most likely be an interesting conversation, Danny entered the room with Kono at his heels.

Rosalyn did not disappoint as she jumped to her feet upon seeing the detectives. "You have no right to orders your goons to drag me in here."

"Sit down, Miss Shelton," Danny ordered calmly.

"I don't have to talk to you."

"No you don't. The officers outside have informed you of your rights. But before you decide to not cooperate, I suggest that you listen to what I have to say."

Rosalyn glared at Danny and Kono before settling back down into her chair. "Alright, say it."

"The spear shaft you had at the protest matches the one we found in Dr. Sullivan's body. You knew that Sullivan would be on the beach that night. We have a witness who told us that you were asking around dive shops about the killing capability of spear guns…"

Furious, the young woman interrupted, "Why would I want to murder the best advocate of marine conversation on the island?"

"Dr. Sullivan's death has certainly brought public attention to your cause. Or did you not organize that rally yesterday?"

"I should have known," Rosalyn spat. "The government will stoop to any level to silence us. Well, I promise you I will not stand by and let you fuzz cover up the truth about the murders of innocent creatures and those who protect them."

Leaning forward, Danny pressed. "Where were you between ten o'clock and midnight the night of Sullivan's murder?"

Rosalyn smiled. "The student center. I was chairing a meeting of the Students for Environmental Justice. We were meeting to discuss methods for dealing with our corrupt government."

Danny nodded to Kono who quietly left the room. Hopefully, it wouldn't take him long to confirm or deny her alibi.

"I'm not lying. What are you going to do when you can't blame this on me?'

"My duty is to find the truth regardless of who the perpetrator is."

"I thought your duty was to be lapdogs for Jameson and his corporate cronies. I know who holds your leash. Your investigation will discover what the government wants you to discover."

"Miss, and I use this term loosely, you might find the authorities more amiable to your cause if you didn't insult them at every opportunity."

"You think I should play nice," Rosalyn replied mockingly before turning serious. "Dr. Sullivan played nice. He wrote letters. Made appointments to meet with political leaders. Kept talking about education and what did it get him? Nothing. And now he's dead, and his life's work will die with him if we keep playing nice. Following the government rules just results in death, Mr. Williams. Young men are forced to kill or be killed in Vietnam. Our land is being destroyed around us as we speak to build playgrounds for tourists who don't care about this land. Innocent creatures are being hunted to extinction all in the name of profit."

Danny stated, "You're admitting that you would break laws for your cause."

"Don't twist my words, fuzz. I don't deal in death. _You_ do. I will do what I have to, to save the honu and the 'ea, but there is no blood on my hands."

Danny sighed. Rosalyn was certainly not afraid of confrontation. "You know if you stopped yelling at people and started talking to them you might find that you have more support for your cause than you'd previously imagined."

"You don't expect me to believe that you are supportive of the cause?"

"I don't believe in your methods. And if I find proof that you killed Dr. Sullivan, I will ensure that you spend a good many years behind bars. But these islands are my home. The honu are part of what make these islands special. I would hate to see them gone."

Rosalyn didn't believe him. "Empty words. How long are you going to keep holding me, fuzz?"

Knowing that he had gotten all that he could out of the young woman for the moment, Danny said, "You are free to go. You better hope that your alibi checks out."

"I'm not the one who should be worried." Then, without another word, Shelton went on her way.

An hour later, Danny was nursing a cup of coffee and headache when Kono returned to the station.

"I met with campus security. Da cameras confirm that Ms. Shelton was where she said she was."

Frustrated, Danny threw a folder on the table. "It's getting late and we're getting nowhere. Let's go back to Na'alehu and hope things look better in the morning."

They just needed a break. Because even if Shelton wasn't the murderer, Danny feared that they needed to solve this case before she did something rash that would hurt her conservation advocacy beyond all redemption. And while he would never admit it aloud, he didn't want Dr. Sullivan's work to die with his death either.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Farley snarled, holding up the wad of bills and scrunching them furiously in his clenched fist.

"Sorry, but all those damn kids protesting lately has been hurting my business, you know. Word is out that some of the restaurants are even considering taking turtle off the menu. I just can't afford to give you any more than that," Wade Morgan replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's not my problem!" Farley reached across the counter and grabbed a handful of the shorter man's work overalls, pulling him up against the bench top so that their faces were only inches apart. "We had a deal. I bring you the merchandise and you give me top dollar for them. Now, I ain't stupid. This isn't the going price for turtle meat. You don't go into my business without doing a little research first."

"Look, I'm telling ya the truth, okay! So just take it easy there, big guy, people are watching," Morgan lowered his voice. His eyes darted around nervously, almost hoping that there were people at the market taking notice. Little did they know that someone was indeed paying close attention from a nearby stall that was packing up for the day.

Taking in a slow, deep breath, Farley released his hold on the fishmonger and gave him a rough shove. "Next time, I don't wanna hear excuses!" As he walked away at a brisk pace, he caught a glimpse of someone following him from out of the corner of his eye. It was a young college girl. The frown on his face deepened. He'd seen her hanging around the docks before, poking her nose in where it wasn't wanted. _Another hippie environmentalist._ The kind he could do without. He quickened his pace, eager to lose her in the thinning crowd.

Fueled by anger and by the knowledge that he was being cheated and now possibly being tailed, it didn't take Farley long to be reunited with his accomplices at their designated meeting place by the docks. He let loose a tirade of curses under his breath.

"Well?" Tucker demanded, discarding his cigarette butt carelessly over the pier.

Farley walked up to the two men who stood impatiently on the boardwalk.

"What happened?" Riley questioned, hitching his thumbs in his jeans pockets.

Farley made a gesture that translated to, now was not the time, and that someone's watching.

"Looks like you got yourself a fan club," Tucker mocked when his eyes caught sight of a young woman a short distance away, stealing furtive glances in their direction .

Farley scowled at his companion.

"Wonder what she wants?" Riley thought out loud, leaning his slender frame against a post and squinting against the last glaring rays of sunlight as he casually scanned the area.

"Let's find out." Farley was not in the mood for games and the notion that someone was paying close attention to them, for whatever reason, did not settle well with him. The last thing they needed was to attract unwanted attention, particularly when the authorities were hot on the trail for those responsible for the conservationist's demise on Punalu'u beach. Quickly devising a plan, Farley gestured that they all play along with him. Rather than continuing to walk down the boardwalk toward their small fishing trawler, they hung around, casually talking, waiting for the opportune moment. As expected, the brunette girl attempted to walk straight past them, like she was trying to catch snippets of their conversation, while appearing to be inconspicuously admiring the setting sun. Farley let out a low whistle while Tucker stuck his boot out, blocking her path.

A pair of feisty brown eyes met Farley's.

"Look what we have here. Are you lost, little girl?" Tucker cooed while Riley let out a quiet chuckle.

"This is a public wharf and you're blocking my way." She stood with her hands on her hips, standing her ground and glaring at the men barring her way.

"No one's stopping you," Tucker pulled his foot back and waved his arms, gesturing for her to pass.

Suspicion caused the young woman to hesitate before she took a step forward. Taking his cue, Riley reached out, grabbed her by the elbow and drew her close to his chest, whispering in her ear, "I know you've been following me. If you want me, baby, why don't you just come right out and say it?" Leaning his head down, he started to nuzzle the girl's neck.

The girl lashed out with a well-placed slap. Yanking her arm free, she stepped back, breathing hard. Fury blazed fearlessly in her eyes.

Riley reached up and rubbed the stubble on his face, smirking. "Feisty little creature aren't you? Tell you what? I'm going to let that one slide, but the next time I see so much as your shadow lurking around my boat, you just might be lucky enough to get an up-close and personal tour and I got a feeling you ain't going to like what you see."

"Is that a threat?" She shot back defiantly.

"No, it's an invitation."

"Really? Well, in that case, I'm going to have to decline," the woman responded with a cold smile that quickly evaporated when she noticed a tattoo of a spear gun on the man's inner forearm. Her tone grew harsher, driven by her passion. "I don't need to see what you have in that torture chamber of yours that you call a boat! You're a murderer. Killing innocent creatures for profit. And you call yourself a man. You're all nothing but depraved killers who should be locked away!"

"I mean it, lady. Stay the hell away from me and mind your own goddam business if you know what's good for you!" Riley threatened, jabbing her finger at the woman.

"It's a free country. I'll go where I want and do what I want and neither of you or the fuzz are going to get in my way!" She stormed off, angrily, shouldering past the stockier of the men deliberately.

"What the hell was that all about?" Tucker questioned, instinctively rubbing his upper arm from where the young woman made contact.

"Just another one of them do-gooders. Keep an eye out on her in case she decides to cause trouble. Come on, the tide's coming in. We might get lucky tonight." With a last glimpse at the retreating girl's back, Riley turned away and continued walking down the boardwalk.

"I thought we were going to lay low for a while," Tucker called out, hurrying to catch up.

"Yeah, well, change of plans. We're cutting that lousy fish monger loose. I don't deal with deal breakers," Riley declared.

"What?!" Tucker blurted out.

"Relax. I know a guy who knows a guy. He'll get us back in business but first we'll need to show him some merchandize. He likes to see what he's paying for."

The three men boarded the trawler, the _Ocean Warrior_ , and quietly cast off into the setting sun.

* * *

Kono needed to think. So, after dropping Danno off at their hotel, he drove to Punalu'u. He was fond of his friend, but he needed a moment to just be by himself and reflect on the events of the past few days.

Walking slowly along the shore, he was struck once more by the beauty of the black sand beach. How could have this sacred place been turned into one of so much murder and destruction? This was his home. The honu should be under his people's protection and yet many stood by and watched them be killed by those who had taken these islands from them. If he solved this case, he would find Sullivan's murderer, but what good did that do for the honu and the 'ea? He was a cop. His duty was to protect and serve. But yet he felt powerless to protect his aumakua.

Reaching down, Kono picked up a handful of sand and let it run through his fingers. There had to be something he was missing. Some clue he had overlooked.

" _Nānā_!"

There is was again. That voice.

" _Nānā_!"

Looking around, Kono followed the voice's order. He would find her and this time he wouldn't lose her. She knew something important; Kono felt it in his bones.

Finally, he spotted her standing in the same spot he saw her only a few days before. He had, without realizing it, wandered back to the scene of Sullivan's murder.

Moving slowly so as not to scare the keiki, Kono smiled as he approached her. "Who are you? What is your name?" When the keiki did not respond, Kono repeated his questions in Hawaiian in case she didn't understand him.

The keiki tugged his arm and started walking toward the tree line. Kono quickly followed and, after they had gone a few yards, she pointed towards a nearby bush. "Nānā!"

Trying to keep one eye on her and one eye on where she was pointing, Kono noticed an odd spec of shiny black mixed in with natural green. Bending down, he pushed aside some leaves and spotted a Canon F-1. This was a professional camera so it was possible that this wasn't just left by some tourist.

Leaning forward, he noticed that embroidered on the camera strap was the name: _Eric Sullivan_.

How had they missed this?

Picking up the camera with a handkerchief, Kono turned around to ask the keiki how she had found the camera when his heart sank.

Once again, she was gone.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Clues in the Shadows**

Kono paced outside the lab as he waited for Paul Mahina to arrive for work. When he had given the forensic examiner the camera last night, he had been politely but firmly told to return in the morning. According to the logs, Mahina had gone home about three in the morning so the detective had high hopes that he had discovered something.

A much more subdued Danny sat in a chair with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pastry in the other. Kono's stomach growled and he figured that he might as well join his friend while he waited.

As Kono devoured his second donut, the precinct doors opened and a very exhausted Paul Mahina entered the building. "Coffee then talk," he said before Kono could open his month.

Coffee was quickly poured and the scientist led the two eager detectives into his lab. "The film was undamaged," he reported. "So I was able to develop the film without any problems. There were no prints on the camera but Sullivan's so you're going to have to figure out how it ended up in the bush." Then taking out a folder, Mahina spread the developed pictures across the table.

Kono leaned in to study them. Most were of the 'ea nesting. The professor had even managed a good shot of an egg coming out. He was quite impressed by the skill. And as he reached the end, he saw a sight that made bile rise in his throat. The beautiful mother was dead with a spear gun shaft in her neck and blood on the sand.

The detective forced his eyes to remain focused and the next couple of pictures proved to be the most useful as they showed the shadowy forms of two men.

Mahina pointed at two pictures. "These give you the best view of their faces so I enlarged these for you." Then pulling out a third enlarged photo, he added, "This was the best shot of the boat. No luck on reading the name, however."

Even enlarged, the faces were difficult to make out. But the picture of boat gave a good view of its shape which they should be able to match pretty easily if they found the vessel.

"Mahalo, Bruddah. You did good work."

"Go take a nap," Danny ordered. "We'll take it from here.

* * *

Rosalyn groaned as the sound of her alarm jolted her awake. As much as she wanted to keep sleeping she knew that she couldn't. She had class in an hour. Then she had another meeting with student leaders as they planned the next wave of protests. Dr. Sullivan's funeral was scheduled and it was important that the mourners learned about the cause that he had died for.

A sudden pounding at the door caused her to sit bolt upright. Who would be visiting at seven in the morning?

Her roommate murmured for her to get the door so she grabbed a robe and stumbled toward the door. After checking the deadbolt was secure, she cracked open the door. On the other side was the very unwelcome sight of Detective Williams and his overweight sidekick.

Immediately, Rosalyn slammed the door, but it refused to shut. A single foot blocked its path.

Blasted cop! She hoped his foot hurt. How dare he continue this illegal harassment? "I'm not talking to you without a warrant."

Williams was as unflappable as ever. "We found Dr. Sullivan's camera."

Further protests died on her lips. She needed that camera. They couldn't afford to lose the valuable research. It appeared that she was going to have to play the fuzz's game. "Give me five minutes. I'm not dressed."

"Certainly, Ms. Shelton."

She purposely took her time in getting dressed. If Williams was going to insist on interrogating her at some ungodly hour of the morning, he would have to be patient. Finally, after she finished putting her hair in a braid, she stepped out into the hallway. "Well?" she demanded, hands on her hips. "Where is the camera?"

"At the lab," Williams answered. "But it seems that Dr. Sullivan may have taken a picture of his murderers. Do you recognize these men?"

Rosalyn took the stack of photos. She made no attempt to hide her rage as she studied each one. How hard it must have been for her mentor to watch these monsters destroy the beautiful mother and her babies. But he had remained strong and documented the horrors to show the world.

The pictures of the murderers weren't very clear. The darkness of the night covered their faces in shadows. But the final picture held promise. That boat looked familiar. She had seen it recently and she knew that the crew was dedicated in their quest to earn blood money.

"Do you recognize these men?" Williams asked, his eyes studying her every reaction.

"No. Perhaps if you had a picture with better light?"

That much was true, it was too dark for her to see if it was the same men she had seen on the pier. And Williams hadn't asked about the boat.

Williams sighed. "This is the best we could do."

Sensing that this conversation would soon come to an end, Rosalyn forced herself to be polite as she asked, "Mr. Williams, what is going to happen with the rest of the film?"

"At the moment it is evidence."

"I understand. It's just that this film contains valuable research. Research that Dr. Sullivan died to gather. He would want it studied and used to protect marine wildlife."

Williams nodded. "I'll see what I can do. In the mean-time, call us if you see anyone that might resemble the men you saw in the photos or if you can think of anything else that could help us find whoever was responsible for Dr. Sullivan's death." The detective dug into his pocket and pulled out a card with the HPD logo embossed on it. As an after-thought, he fished out a pencil and wrote on the back. "Here's a number where you can reach me at the hotel room where we're staying. Just in case." He handed the card to Rosalyn and turned to leave, as she shoved the card into her pocket without even bothering to peer at the numbers on it.

Rosalyn waited until she saw the backs of both men before she walked back into her dorm, an idea of a mission forming in her mind.

* * *

After presenting the incriminating photographs to various dive shops and establishments in the area, Danny and Kono decided to broaden their search into the bustling market place near the docks. It was early in the afternoon and the lunch rush crowd made progress slow but they had a good feeling that their persistence would bear some fruit. Surely the local businesses, particularly the fish mongers would be familiar enough with their regular clientele and suppliers that the pictures would jog someone's memory. Figuring they would cover more ground splitting up, Danny took one side of the stalls while Kono took the other.

As the afternoon wore down, Danny's confidence started to wane with each negative responses from the proprietors. There were only two more stalls left before he reached the end of the line. He hoped that Kono was having more luck.

"Excuse me, sir. Dan Williams. Hawaii Five-O." Danny flashed his badge to a middle-aged man working at the stall displaying an array of fresh seafood.

The man held up a hand signaling for the cop to wait until he had finished helping a customer with his selection then he asked for his assistant to close the transaction for him. Finally free from his obligation, he turned his attention to the detective. "Wade Morgan. What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Morgan, if I could have a few moments of your time, I have some pictures I'd like you to take a look at." Williams politely requested.

The fishmonger hastily wiped his hands on his apron. "Sure." He took the photos from the detectives and quickly looked them over. Shaking his head, he started to pass the photos back to the young detective when the last image caught his attention and he withdrew his hands to study the picture in more detail.

Dan's initial reaction was to allow his shoulders to slump when Morgan was about to hand the pictures back to him, but the sudden change in the man's demeanor sparked a renewed sense of hope to the seemingly futile search.

"Wait a minute. That boat. I've seen it before. The _something_ Warrior." Morgan clicked his fingers, trying to bring his memory to the surface. "Sorry, I just can't remember the rest."

"Do you know who owns it?" Dan prodded.

"Yeah, belongs to Dave Trudeau and his partner. They used to run a small time fishing business together but Trudeau's moved on to something bigger. Left his boat to his partner."

"Do you know who his partner is? Could he be one of the men in the pictures?" Dan questioned.

"It's hard to tell, but his partner's name's Jack Farley. You'll find him hanging around the docks if he's not out hunting," Morgan disclosed.

"Hunting?" Dan arched his eye brows.

"Turtles. They're hard to come by though I've never had the taste for them. That's all I know about him." Morgan clamped his mouth shut but he realized it was far too late for that.

Dan noted the less than favorable tone in Morgan's voice as he spoke about this Jack Farley and the abrupt way in which he ended the conversation. "Did you have a business relationship with Farley?"

Morgan shifted his gaze uneasily. "Look, I wish I could help but I have a lot of work to do so if you'll excuse me."

Dan decided to play on his hunch that the fishmonger was holding back on information, not because he was involved in Sullivan's demise, but because the man could have been dealing with Farley for tax related purposes. It would give him enough reason not to want to open up to the authorities. "Mr. Morgan, I'm not interested if you have been dealing with Farley off the books. I'm here investigating a murder. How you go about your business transactions is between you and the IRS. I'm not interested in how much tax you may or may not be withholding. If you are, however, withholding evidence that could help in a murder investigation, I suggest you be honest with me right now."

Morgan sighed heavily and decided to come clean. "Look, I was just the middle man between Farley and the top restaurants in Hilo."

"Was?" Dan sensed more to the story than Morgan was letting on.

"Well, you know, all these protests those college students are taking part in. They're leaving a bad taste in people's mouths and hurting my business. Added to that, the rates that Farley charges for turtle meat, it just isn't worth it for me anymore to take the risks. I told him I wasn't going to be dealing with him anymore," Morgan confessed.

"I gather he didn't take that very well," Williams commented.

Morgan sighed and shrugged.

"Alright. If you see Farley or come in contact with him, call me," Dan instructed, handing him a card.

* * *

Later that evening, just before sundown, Rosalyn changed into a pair of dark jeans and a black top. Tying the laces of her sneakers, she informed her roommate, Carol, that she was going out for a stroll, to not bother waiting up for her and to leave the deadbolt unlocked. Too consumed in her own studies, Carol merely grunted a reply. It wasn't unusual for Rosalyn to venture out for hours in the evenings so she thought nothing of it. If anything, it meant she could have the dorm to herself which was a welcoming prospect.

Not wanting to be weighed down with a back pack, Rosalyn slung a small satchel bag across her shoulder. It was small enough not to hinder her movements but large enough for her to carry a flashlight, her camera and a notebook and pen. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't had dinner yet so she hastily raided the refrigerator and found the sandwich she had prepared earlier. Scoffing down her modest meal, Rosalyn checked the time and knew she had to hurry if she was going to make it to the docks before the fishing trawlers headed out for the night. With a final check that she had everything she needed, the young conservationist grabbed her beanie then left the dorm and the campus grounds.

A brisk walk was all it took for Rosalyn to arrive at her destination in good time. The sun had started to set and the docks were alive with the last of the boats gearing up to leave. Rosalyn was only interested in one particular vessel and that was the _Ocean Warrior_ which her keen eyes had spotted tied off right at the end of the pier. Pulling on her beanie, the college girl kept her head down and her shoulders hunched as she weaved through the thinning crowd.

Unnoticed by Farley, who was immersed in a heated conversation with his drunk accomplice Hank Tucker, young Rosalyn Shelton slipped past them and climbed into the boat. Quickly ducking into the cabin, the stow-away hid beneath the stairs that led down into the compartment. There she waited until the crew boarded and cast off.

A frustrated Jack Farley stomped down the stairs into the cabin of his boat and set the trawler on its course. From the corner of his eye he thought he caught movement behind him. As he contemplated on how to act on his suspicion, Riley Gibson's voice followed his footsteps down the stairway.

"I don't think Tucker's gonna last the night. He's already pukin' his guts out up there!" Gibson complained as he trudged down to face Farley.

"If he keeps it up, throw him over board! I've had enough of his drinkin'! I want him sobered up by the time we get to Punalu'u. I don't care how you do it, just get it done!" Farley barked. As he spoke he made furtive hand gestures and moved his eyes in the direction of the stairs, signaling that someone had boarded without their permission or knowledge.

Gibson rubbed the stubble on his chin and nodded in understanding of the hidden message as he replied, "I keep tellin' that oaf to keep his drinkin' in check. Just leave it with me. I'll take care of it." He turned and started back for the stairs but in one lightning fast movement his long legs darted around the stairway. With a knife in one hand, he pounced on the young girl crouched in the corner and dragged her to her feet by one arm.

"Well, well, what do we have here, Jack?" Gibson drawled, twisting the girl's arm up until she finally cried out.

Farley shook his head, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Little lady, I thought I warned you to stay away from my boat." He walked up to his captive and yanked the black beanie off her head releasing her French braided hair.

"What're you gonna do? Kill me just like you killed Professor Sullivan?" Rosalyn challenged. She knew she was playing with fire, but it was far too late to turn back now. Masking her fear with her streetwise demeanor, the college girl straightened her spine and looked Farley squarely in the eye with as much venom as she felt compelled to unleash.

Farley took hold of the feisty brunette's jaw tightly and smirked. "Let's go for a little ride, shall we, sweetheart?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Hunter Versus Hunted**

Back at the hotel room, Kono's gentle snores brought a smile to Dan's weary face as he sat up against the headboard of the bed. He set his notebook against his knee while he twirled a pencil between his fingers as stared at the array of photographs strewn across the mattress. A hunch started to manifest in his gut as he focused on one picture in particular. The boat. Something about the boat was nagging at him. Kono's startled release from his slumber momentarily distracted Dan from his thoughts.

"Oh, Bruddah, dat was some dream," Kono declared breathing heavily as he wiped the sheen of perspiration from his face.

"Must've been them donuts!" Williams quipped. Then taking on a more serious tone, he said, "What are the chances we'll bag us some turtle hunters tonight?"

Kono rubbed his eyes. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I'm thinking from everything we've gathered so far, tonight looks like a good night for the hunters to be out and about. Thought maybe we'll do a little hunting of our own - for some information," Dan said.

"You're after a particular hunter?"

"Let's just say I have a hunch." Dan swung his legs off the bed and approached his companion

on the opposite side of the room in just a few short strides. He dropped the photograph of the trawler onto Kono's lap. "It could be Mr. Farley's and if it is then he might care to enlighten us on a few tricks of the trade. Come on. If we hurry, we might be able to intercept them before they cast off."

Kono glanced at the clock on the wall and was about to voice his doubts but refrained when he saw Dan had already slipped his .22 into his ankle holster. Grabbing the keys to the jeep, Kono waited until his colleague phoned Detective Lokelani who agreed to meet them at the pier.

Dressed in light casual attire, the two detectives ventured out of their hotel room and into the jeep. The sun had well and truly set by the time they reached the docks and stepped out onto the board walk. There were still a few boats preparing to cast away but none of them looked remotely like the trawler in the photograph to Dan as he scanned the area.

"I know of a few beaches between here and Naalehu dat are popular hunting grounds," Lokelani volunteered.

"That's a lot of ground to cover. I'm hoping we'll find that trawler in the photo before it gets too far," said Williams.

"We need a boat," Kono added.

"Good thing you called me when you did. I've already made arrangements with sea patrol. They're loaning us one of their boats. Dere's our guy," Lokelani pointed toward their means of transportation.

After brief introductions were made with the young officer on board, the trio stepped onto the boat and cast off into the open water.

"It's gonna be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Officer Donahue said dubiously, but the look of determination on Williams' face was enough to silence him.

After some time had lapsed and two beaches were found to be clearly deserted, the detectives' resolve began to crumble.

Dan stood at the edge of the boat with a pair of binoculars in hand, looking out into the vast expanse of the sea, but even though the moon was full, it wasn't bright enough to illuminate the entire ocean. Donahue was right, he conceded. _Just like looking for a needle in a hay stack_. _What would Steve do if he were here? He's never one to give up on a hunch. But then again, he was rarely ever wrong._

Kono heaved a long sigh of disappointment. He squinted and looked out toward the shoreline, hoping he could catch something that the others may have missed. The gentle breeze picked up and he heard a distant voice. A voice that had been haunting the Hawaiian detective ever since the day they found the body of Professor Sullivan on Punaluú beach.

" _Nānā!"_

Kono closed his eyes in concentration and listened for the voice again.

" _Moana Kekoa. Ao."_

Like a magnetic pull, Kono felt himself being drawn toward the voice of the keiki. A hand touched his arm and he opened his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Dan asked, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Kono shrugged off the touch. "What was da name of dat boat?"

"Something Warrior. We never figured that one out, remember?" Dan peered into Kono's troubled features trying to make out what had him looking like he'd just been spooked.

"I think I know where it is. I can't explain now, Danny. Just trust me, Bruddah," Kono persisted.

Not one to question his friends, Dan trusted Kono's judgment. Besides, they had nothing to lose. "Where?"

Kono drew a deep breath and felt rather than saw where they needed to go. "A mile ahead. Dere's a beach. It's gotta be it."

Dan relayed Kono's directions to the others and Officer Donahue prepared to pull the boat closer to the shoreline.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before they could see a faint glow emanating from within the small cabin of a trawler before it went out concealing the boat in darkness.

"Whether or not they're our suspects, I'll bet my badge those fellas are up to no good," Donahue said.

"Let's go find out," Dan replied.

* * *

Rosalyn never thought there'd come a day she would despise human beings as much as she did the men who held her captive. Yet, in spite of her anger and fortitude, a sliver of fear started to prickle in her gut. They had long left the docks she was familiar with and here she was, alone, with three men capable of slaughtering innocents. And possibly humans as well if the photo meant that they were same men who murdered her friend and mentor. No one knew where she was, that much she was certain. With her hands bound tightly in front of her, she sat on the floor in the cabin with her back leaning against the wall. The man named Farley – the ringleader surely – had gone upstairs leaving behind his loyal hound Gibson. Rosalyn could feel the man's eyes studying her like a wolf would its prey. Raising her head, she shot him a glare that she hoped would mask any of the fear she felt creeping up inside her.

"What ya lookin' at huh?" Gibson glared back at his captive. He pulled out a switchblade and started to pick at his teeth.

Rosalyn let out what she hoped sounded like a sigh of boredom before turning her head away.

The sound of approaching footsteps announced Farley's return. "We've got company! Gag her and get your ass up here!" he ordered from the second last step before he disappeared again.

Gibson stowed his knife away and knelt down in front of his hostage, pulling out a neckerchief.

Survival instincts and reflexes kicking into overdrive, Rosalyn lashed out with the only weapon she had. Her teeth. She leaned forward and bit hard into Gibson's hand as he made an attempt to tie the gag around her face.

"Ow! You little bitch!" Gibson retaliated and back handed the girl, hard, rendering her unconscious.

"Gibson! Quit foolin' around and get up here! Now!" Farley hollered.

Sporting a bleeding hand where he was bit, Gibson abandoned his attempts to gag his victim as he figured that she'd be out for a while anyway.

* * *

Dan exchanged the binoculars he was holding for the bullhorn that Detective Lokelani held out to him. They were close enough to the trawler to announce their presence and far enough away to disengage should there be a risk they'd be overpowered. Officer Donahue stayed at the wheel, a radio in hand as he dispatched their current location and updated headquarters in case they needed back-up.

"This is Dan Williams, Five-O! Permission to board. I repeat, this is Dan Williams from

Five-O!" Dan announced.

When no one stirred from the bobbing trawler, Dan gave the signal for Donahue to move forward and place their vessel alongside their target. Once the officer had radioed for back-up the others cautiously secured a rope between the two boats, then together, they prepared to board. With flashlights in one hand and pistols drawn in the other, they began searching the trawler for signs of the crew.

* * *

Farley hid on the starboard side of the trawler, waiting for his chance to pounce. Armed with a loaded spear gun, the poacher sprang into action when a shadow fell just before his feet. He jumped out of his concealment, held his weapon like a bar and smashed it into the face of his adversary. The young officer went down with a grunt and Farley wasted no time in stomping on the wrist of the downed cop with his boot. The officer cried out, his fingers releasing their hold on his pistol. Not wanting to waste the only bolt he had loaded in his weapon, Farley brought the butt of the spear gun down onto the cop's head, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Williams and Lokelani started down the port side of the trawler at a crouch. Dan gestured for Kai to check the cabin while he continued toward the bow. The sound of a brief scuffle and a cry of pain reached Dan's ears and he was quick to react. Hurrying toward the noise, his gun held at the ready, he caught sight of their first suspect standing over the prone body of Officer Donahue.

"Five-O! Drop your weapon!" Dan ordered.

The man spun on his heel and aimed his spear gun at the detective. Though Williams loathed having to use his pistol, he was left with no choice but to pull the trigger when he could see the suspect was not going to comply with his command.

* * *

Detective Lokelani's first instinct was to race back up the stairs of the cabin at the sound of Dan Williams shout, however, the muffled noise of someone in distress diverted his attention. Counting on the Five-O detective to have the situation under control, Lokelani pressed onward. His flashlight shone over the bound feet of a captive. He moved the beam and found that they belonged to Rosalyn Shelton. On the floor, in the corner of the cabin with her hands and feet bound, the college girl squinted her eyes from the bright light. Lokelani swiftly scanned the cabin to ensure they were alone then holstered his gun and crouched down beside the young woman. He placed the flashlight on the ground and worked to free her from the ropes binding her limbs. Next, he checked for any obvious injuries. "Are you hurt?"

Rosalyn shook her head, though she instantly regretted it when pain shot through her temple. "I'm fine!"

Other than the bruise on her cheek, Lokelani was satisfied that the girl didn't appear to be seriously hurt. Picking up his flashlight, he helped her to her feet when his body was propelled into a nearby table. Unable to reach for his weapon, Lokelani found himself exchanging blows with his attacker who was a heavily built man in his forties and reeked of stale alcohol and sweat.

Rosalyn strode over to the wall and flicked on the light switch then searched the cabin for a weapon she could use but found nothing substantial. Cursing her luck, she settled for her so-called rescuer's flashlight which had rolled across the floor and stopped at her feet. Picking it up, she waited for an opportunity to present itself before lunging forward and smashing it as hard as she could against her captor's back. The blow stunned the man but it was not enough to bring him down.

Lokelani took advantage of the momentary distraction and clocked the criminal as hard as he could in the jaw. The man fell to his side, dazed, but that was all the detective needed to allow him enough time to cuff him to the rail at the stairwell. A quick search through the man's clothing, found a hunting knife, cigarettes and a wallet identifying the perp. He read the man his rights then turned to face Rosalyn. "Mahalo."

Breathing heavily, Rosalyn averted her gaze and started for the stairs before the detective could stop her. She had had enough being bossed around by cops and hunters. She was angry, exhausted and she just wanted to go home. Little did she realize that the danger was not over yet.

* * *

Kono proceeded to the stern when a figure leaped out from the shadows and pushed him up against the rail. Losing control of his gun, he felt a twinge of fear as he heard the weapon hit the water with a splash. He now found himself facing a very determined suspect brandishing a hunting knife pointed dangerously close to his chest. Grappling with the lanky crook, Kono was able to outmatch him for strength and before the blade pierced the front of his shirt, he managed to twist his body off the rail and smash his assailant's hand against the steel bar. The knife fell overboard, lost in the water's depths. The suspect hurled obscenities accompanied by a fist but Kono's experience won the fight and the man was quickly subdued and cuffed to the rail.

"I didn't do anything! You can't do this!" Riley Gibson protested.

"Dat's what dey all say," Kono replied, frisking the criminal for more weapons.

* * *

The sharp tip of the bolt released from Farley's spear gun grazed Williams' forearm just as the detective fired his pistol. The bullet ricocheted off the spear gun and grazed the back of Farley's hand. Both men reacted to the pain and dropped their weapons. Farley was quick to recover and made a dive for the cop's gun which lay between them on the deck.

Dan ignored the pain flaring up his arm and barreled into the burly criminal, knocking them both to the ground. Neither were able to get the upper hand as they vainly fought for control over the gun between them. An elbow catching Dan in the chin made him see stars and a knee digging into his ribs as the perp tried to crawl free, left him winded and at a disadvantage

Farley kicked himself free from the detective and snatched up the pistol. Pointing the gun at the cop, he clambered to his feet, wiping the thin trickle of blood from his mouth. With a smirk, he said breathlessly, "Get up."

Still recovering his breath, Dan held his hands up and slowly rose from the deck. "You don't want to do this."

"Move it!" Farley impatiently grabbed the detective by the shirt and shoved him forward. As they passed the cabin, he was surprised to see the college girl appear from the stairs. Pushing the cop away from him, he grabbed the unsuspecting woman by the arm, yanked her to his chest and held her tight. "Try anything and I'll blow your brains out, you hear?"

Farley backed away to the bow and pointed his gun at the cops who were now appearing from various areas of the trawler. To his satisfaction, only the cop who followed the girl out of the cabin was still armed and his weapon was still holstered.

"Drop the gun nice and slow and slide it over to me," Farley demanded. He tightened his grip on the college girl who began to struggle. Pressing the barrel of the gun against her neck, he growled in her ear, "Make another move and I'll kill you!" He pulled back the hammer of the revolver.

"Like you killed Professor Sullivan?" Rosalyn accused.

"If he hadn't stuck his nose in where it didn't belong, he'd still be alive!" Farley retorted maliciously.

"You're disgusting! How could you?" Rosalyn was on the verge of tears as she listened to the cruelty behind the confession.

"Shut up!" Farley was at the end of his rope.

Dan, Kono and Lokelani held their breaths.

"I said drop your gun!" Farley yelled at the still armed detective.

Lokelani slowly removed his gun from his holster and lowered it to the ground. Using his boot, he gave it a nudge and watched as it slid across the deck toward the criminal.

"You're outnumbered. Just give it up and no one else has to get hurt," Dan tried to reason with the gunman.

"He's right, Bruddah. Just let the girl go," Kono added.

"Don't go all Hawaiian on me, cop! I'm not your brother. Now get back, all of you!" Farley spat scathingly. "Get back on your boat and cast off!"

"Alright, we'll go if you release the girl," Lokelani negotiated.

"No deal!" Farley barked. "This wild cat's comin' for a ride!"

A string of street-wise cracks and curses made its way to the tip of Rosalyn's tongue but she ground her teeth to refrain from speaking them aloud. As much as she loathed the murderer who held her hostage, she wasn't in any position to retaliate. Acting rashly could cost her her life and she wasn't ready or willing to die for not taking better control of her emotions.

Kono clenched his fists as he watched helplessly. The situation was spiraling out control and the weather was getting in on the act as the wind began to howl. But the howl sounded odd, almost as if it carried the haunting cries of a young girl. He felt a shiver tingling down his spine - it couldn't be, the wind sounded like...

Suddenly, the boat lurched to the side causing Lokelani to fall to his knees. Dan and Kono gripped the side rail to stay on their feet but Jack Farley had chosen that moment to take another step back and the rocking of the boat made him lose his footing altogether.

Rosalyn cried out as she lost her balance, but strong arms grabbed her and kept her on the boat as she watched her captor fall overboard with a yell. Slowly she was able to breathe again. She was safe.

After the boat steadied itself and seeing that everyone was safe, Kono kicked off his shoes and jumped into the now gently rippling water to ensure their suspect was not going to make good on his escape.

Meanwhile, Lokelani shared a look of relief with Williams when the sound of a helicopter and the sight of more boats heralded the arrival of law enforcement units. "Just on time," he joked.

Danny smiled wearily at his friend's quip before turning his attention to the college girl he now held at arm's length. "Are you alright?"

"I've had had better days," Rosalyn shrugged herself out of Dan's grasp and swiped at the stray tears that finally rolled down her face.

Dan sighed at the woman's bull headed demeanor. "You're welcome."

"Hey, it's you who should be thanking me, cop!" Rosalyn shot back with a fiery glare. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here and these murderers would still be free."

"Firstly, it's Detective Williams or just Dan. Secondly, we already had our sights on Farley and this trawler thanks to the photographs we were able to retrieve from Professor Sullivan's camera. And thirdly, you shouldn't have even been on this boat. You not only endangered your life but also the lives of every officer here," Dan shot back. It was now his turn to glare at the headstrong young woman who for once since their first encounter seemed to be at a loss for words.

Rosalyn could feel her cheeks coloring and she rolled her eyes to hide the fact that inwardly she realized that she may actually have been wrong this time but there was no way she was going to let that be known. From a sidelong glance she saw the blood dripping freely downWilliams' fingers from a wound to his arm and a pang of guilt began to prickle its way to the surface. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again when she found she couldn't find the words to form an apology.

Dan left the infuriatingly stubborn woman where she stood to wallow and allow his words to sink in. He caught the attention of an HPD officer and gave him instructions to have Miss Shelton checked by a medic, take her statement and to ensure she was safely escorted home. Once the logistics were taken care of he walked over to his friend and colleague who had returned successfully from his swim.

"How's Donahue?" Dan enquired.

"Concussion and a broken wrist but he'll live," Kono answered before a series of sneezes overcame him.

"What about you? You look like a drowned rat," Dan chuckled weakly.

"Maybe Steve will give me extra sick leave when we get back." Kono grinned before his tone took on a more serious turn as he pointed at Dan's arm and winced. "Auwe. Looks like ya gonna need stitches."

For the first time since the intense confrontation and the arrests that followed, Dan looked down and checked the injury he sustained from the spear gun bolt. Blood was trickling in rivulets from a gash on his arm. The pain finally began to register in full force now that the adrenaline was leaving his body and he was reminded of the wound. "Great." He placed his other hand over the wound to stem the bleeding.

Kono gave Dan a friendly slap on the shoulder and guided him to a medic. Neither of them had the energy to discuss the unusual and seemingly spiritual circumstances that tipped the boat in their favor so to speak. The Hawaiian detective, however, couldn't help but search the water with his eyes for an answer. When it became clear that the mystery was not going to be resolved that night, he settled for saying a silent prayer to the Akua, for their part in protecting them from serious harm.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:** **Kauila's Legacy**

"What are you doing here?"

Danny looked up and spotted an all too familiar face walking right towards him. Figures, even when he was off duty, cases kept coming back to haunt him. So with a sigh, the detective answered, "Believe it or not, Miss Shelton, I'm on vacation and I was hoping to take one last stroll on the beach before heading back to Oahu in the morning." That was the truth. Kono had really wanted to visit Punalu'u before they returned to their hotel for the night and Danny was looking forward to enjoying the beach without a murder investigation to worry about.

Looking over the two detectives dressed in their regular clothes, Rosalyn decided she believed them. "Fine. Just stay out of our way." Then she walked briskly over to a small group of students gathered on the beach.

Danny was fully prepared to walk the other way. Rosalyn was no longer his problem. But Kono had a different plan as he walked after her. "What's going on?"

Rosalyn spun around, anger in her eyes. "What business is it of yours? We're not breaking any laws."

The Hawaiian was unfazed. "It's getting dark. And it's still nesting season." Then gesturing to three students standing to the side, he said, "Dis doesn't look like a research group."

"Why do you care? You've got your murderer."

"My aumakua is a honu. I want ta help."

From the look of shock on Rosalyn's face, Danny know that she understood what that meant and just how important this was to Kono. "You really care?"

"Yes," Danny said as he stepped up to stand beside his friend. "We always have."

Rosalyn opened her mouth and then snapped it shut; it was clear the young woman was taking the time to think things through instead of simply reacting. When she opened her mouth again, she said the one word that Danny never thought he'd hear her say. "Sorry. I'm so used to having to fight just to get people to listen, let alone help, that I forget sometimes all you have to do is ask."

Danny was shocked into speechlessness while Kono recovered quickly. "Well?"

Rosalyn gestured to her friends. "We're part of the newly formed Honu Protection Society. Our members will take turns patrolling this beach every night in nesting season, taking note of where all the nests are. Then when the eggs are ready to hatch, we'll be back, making sure the babies reach the ocean where they'll at least have a chance."

"And if hunters show up?"

"That's why I'm not alone. We'll get between them and the turtles. We'll take videos, pictures, threaten to expose them. We'll do everything we can to convince them to back off. We will make this beach a safe space for the 'ea to nest."

"That's a tall order," Danny said. "You're talking about a lot of volunteers working a lot of hours."

Rosalyn lifted her chin; that proud defiance was back. "We can do it."

Kono nodded. "'A'ohe hana nui ke alu 'ia. No task is too big when done together by all."

Rosalyn smiled; it turned out that she had a beautiful one. "So, fuzz, would you like to join us?"

Danny didn't even have to glance at his friend to know the answer. Who needed sleep anyway? Besides, if any hunters turned up, at least he and Kono could step in to ensure any confrontation remained nonviolent."Yes, we would."

After a quick briefing while the last of the sun disappeared over of the horizon, the detectives and students spread out and began their nightlong patrol.

* * *

There was a beauty in the darkness. Black night, black sand lit only by moonlight. As Kono strolled alone he found solace on the serene beach. For he had no doubt that he was walking on sacred ground. For this was the land of his people, of his gods and he could no longer deny that the strange occurrences that surrounded this case were not coincidence but providence.

Now that was not what he would put in the police report. The little girl would simply never be identified and no one at the trial would think twice about why a boat had suddenly rocked while floating on a calm sea. But Kono would know and that was what mattered.

As he came near a small pool of water, he sat down in the sand and pulled out a small cloth bag. Carefully removing the items inside, he laid them beside the still water of the pool. A conversation with a local kahuna had helped Kono choose the objects and he hoped that Kauila would be pleased with his offering.

Lifting he head toward the heavens, he began to pray. Time passed and the pain and stress of the case faded as Kono was filled with peace. He had done all he could. It would be up to all the people of Hawaii to take the next step, to protect the honu and 'ea.

Rising to his feet, Kono scanned the beach for the students, wondering if anyone had spotted anything yet. But when he looked toward the ocean, his breath caught in his throat. Something was coming out of the water. It was a turtle - the biggest turtle he had ever seen! It was an 'ea. A nesting mother.

Stepping carefully so he would stay out of the mother's way, Kono studied the magnificent creature in front of him. She was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Time lost all meaning as he watched her dig a hole in the sand and prepare to give birth.

Soft footsteps and murmured voices told of the arrival of some students and Kono quickly glanced back and saw Danny standing next to Rosalyn, their faces lit up with joy and awe. He was glad they were here to share in this special moment.

Turning his attention back to the mother, Kono spotted a flash of white! An egg! Life was literally being formed before his eyes.

Kono was a cop. A man used to violence and loss. Death was a familiar companion in his line of work. But not this night. This night his prayers were answered as both life and hope were born in the blacks sands of Punalu'u.

For life, all life, was a precious thing and it was worth fighting for.

PAU


End file.
